A happening day for a Wednesday at Ed Levin. Headed out with Barry, cleanpants and Derrick to get D. back in the air and see what air time the days offers us.
While D. was off the 50 ft practicing basics, cleanpants and I headed to the 600 ft, looking at mild conditions, for a 3 mph west launch. Piece of cake, turns out even without your washout tube. It slid off my glider 30 ft after launch, and noone noticed. Flight was good, slightly iffy air, but I had a wonderful approach and unfortunately wheeled in another landing. Flare is my new Everest. Got to get my gymnastics body in, and really stretch and arch that spine up! Only noticed the washout tube was missing after one flight off the 50 ft. Practicing launch and landing in tall grass with snakes is a new high. Did another, and then started scouring the fields. Everyone pitched in to search. Thank you! Searched the entire 50 ft landing area, to no avail. Oh well, no more flying?
Plan B was to look for washout spare parts in Mission Soaring. D. and I hit the road back to Milpitas, where he bought some ridiculously small straps, that seemed to be exactly what he wanted ... No washout tubes for me though. 11 am. We wanted to be on the top around 1 pm, when the wind was forecasted go nice and west. It did. We were planning to call the weather service and tell them "Guys, Wednesday May 12, 2010 was the one day you got it right!". 2 hours to find the tube! I started by hiking to the 600, while clapping for the snakes at every step, and first searched the setup area. I was probably only lucky to walk another 30 ft after launch and find it. Woo-hoo!
At 12.30 we all headed up and were setup by 1 pm. An observer was launching Thomas at that exact time, and he stuck around to launch me and D. I was off first, and "off" is an understatement. I didn't have a launch run. With the wind cycling up at 7-8 mph and sometimes 10, and my nose not low enough, I stepped into an elevator, and went straight up. The observer did not like that, understandably, and did not sign my flight. 3 to go still. But was that lift fun or what. I played with it all the way to the 600, turned at the 900, then turned 2-3 times above the 600, did two passes on the 300-600 ridge, felt those arms working, and decided to land. Spot on the hang 3 spot, aka hit the LZ girl's nose; but wheeled in again! All that while watching Derrick and cleanpants do the landings of their life, zero-step, light hop, ballerina style!
Things to work on: 1/ having consistently good launches; 2/ flaring more upright and less prone; perhaps a second earlier.
40 ft - Derrick (2 launches);
50 ft - Derrick (3 launches); cookie girl (3 launches);
600 ft - cleanpants (1 launch); cookie girl (1 launch);
1750 ft - cleanpants (1 launch); Derrick (1 launch); cookie girl (1 launch)
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